The week 16 game was not an outstanding
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Why? Because the Raiders boast the most intimidating fans Madden 24 coins in the Madden NFL 24. Decked out in unwieldy spiked outfits and with faces painted in black and silver they create fear in their opponents even when their players do not.
The week 16 game was not an outstanding weekend in the world of Madden NFL 24 officials. There were the usual poor helmet-to-helmet call (Panthers cornerback Josh Norman's hit at Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins on the first play in the second quarter their match). There were a few questionable inbounds/out off bounds penalties (Vikings tight end Rhett Ellison's touchdown/not touchdown just before halftime could have been an actual touchdown). It had shaky unnecessary roughness calls regarding tackles on the sideline (seriously, Vikings linebacker Gerald Hodges made contact with Dolphins rookie receiver Jarvis Landry decidedly in bounds but was penalized for taking his opponent towards the turf). It even had a quarterback fumble ruled an incomplete pass with no appeal (Big Ben's hand was empty as hell for the Chiefs).
However, there was one sloppy call that was so egregious and irresponsible that I'm sure that the official who made it shouldn't be allowed to participate in any playoff games. It was the absurd taunting penalty that was imposed to Steelers cornerback William Gay after a particularly remarkable, not-so-spectacular performance made by Steelers middle linebacker Lawrence Timmons on third down.
Imagine this scenario: the Steelers had a lead of 17-6 in the must-win game with just 12:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. The opponent, the Chiefs were on an uncontested third-and-17 at their 23-yard line. The Steelers were, naturally, were a bit off the receivers by defending the entire field, and forcing Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to dump the ball short to tight end Travis Kelce. Timmons was across the formation, in the coverage area but he was hauled in and made a one-on-one tackle in the field in the open for an advantage of two yards. It could have been the typical play given that it was not likely that Kelce could gain enough yards to gain the first down. If you take a close look at the play, it's important to realize how fast Timmons was and be able to collect himself and then make a certain tackle. This is the exact opposite of routine or simple.
The closest I can discern, one of these naivete had to cheap mut 24 coins throw the flag since they believed Gay was taunting someone else. Chiefs player when there wasn't a single player in the area. The reason Gay was standing in the middle of the field holding his hands crossed. Dassit. They all refused to glance toward the Jumbotron to determine just what kind of call they were going to make.
The Steelers had fought their ass off to oblige the Chiefs to punt, however, because of an arbitrary and inconsistent rule that allows referees to claim things they didn't have a clue about, and a rule that doesn't allow for an appeal to keep refs in the loop and fair, the Steelers defense had to go back to the field while the Chiefs continued to drive. They were still successful in restricting the Chiefs to a field goal, but what if this hadn't been the case? What was the outcome if Chiefs would have marched on the field after the ass taunting penalty and scored a touchdown which gave them the confidence they needed to rally and be victorious?
A league could have plenty to be held accountable if this were the case.